jury duty

There is a very high profile sort of murder case going on in our district right now.  Sounds like a long one with lots of witnesses and testimony.  I am currently working on my impression of the judge which is pretty much "how did we get to this point" and when is lunch.  You have to give the jury a break.  Shhhh..just don't talk about it.  LP asked me : Do you think he did it?  Girl I don't have a clue.  Sometimes there are no easy answers about  who is guilty.

Enough about true crime.  This weather is marvelous and easy on the lungs.  Stopping by at the shop today I found that my car is still in the back waiting on a transmission.  Fortunately Laura Ann has let me use hers until mine is fixed.  Hers is the next model up from an Escape and has lots of bells and whistles that I don't know how to use.  The side sensors keep me in line with curbs and whatnot.

I am better than yesterday which is a miracle.  I rest often and long and eat well.  Get in a little bit of nature when the humidity is low and there's a breeze.  When I sit on the front porch I remember the Lee house that was down by the old cattle barn.  Rosie and Georgie lived there with there parents and they had an outhouse.  First time I ever saw one.  Doody was the daddy's name.  

Big Daddy lived across the road from us when we were kids, he and Ms. Lockey.  They had all kinds of pigs, chickens, cows and other animals kinda' sorta' cooped up in the back.  We gathered eggs from the chicken house and played in the backwater from the Forked Deer.  There were tadpoles in the ditches and we caught them in jars.  Same for fireflies.

The landscape looks different now what with global warming and changes in bug patterns.  Daddy spent half of his career at the USDA  popping pins in a map on the wall to track the Japanese beetle.  Those little dudes are STILL around wreaking havoc.  

Y'all be happy and enjoy the little moments.  I sure do ^j^

turning the corner

I have been very sick the past couple of weeks with some strange illness that has affected breathing on all levels.  The humidity has been terrible plus all the allergens are gunked up in the moisture.  The upper respiratory issues are improving but my head still feels like it's in a bucket so I laid down my license for some real sudafed today and that has helped more than anything.  Sinus pressure down.  I've been using peroxide and alcohol on the ears and taking antibiotics for 12 days.  Something is bound to give.

There is a bush hog running the ditches across the road from me so I'm inside for the day.  Grass pollen is the worst!   I know, "whine whine whine."  And also, I hate to sweat.  I'm already looking forward to fall and winter.  But hey, my flower beds look great because of all the rain.

Call me when all the bad shit is over ^j^

what goes around comes around

Payback is hell sometimes.  When we set ourselves up as "better than" sometimes God will smite thee with something or other that resembles what you did to others.  I have been there, done that way too many times.  Judgement is not up to us, but with God.  Those who seek to down others are not real followers of the way Jesus did things.  He reached out to the least of these and made it count.  

I was dead asleep last night when I got a call from a Memphis weather watcher that there was a tornado headed my way.  I got up and watched it online and things turned out to a little bit of nothing thankfully.  I do so appreciate the heads up.  Today was nicer and sunny but still hot and humid with cottonwood floating everywhere. Not good for someone like me.  Mamye and I had a nice breakfast at Mel's this morning and I'm still full as a tick with eggs, bacon and biscuit with gravy.  Plus there is Chick Fil A on the way thanks to doordash.  They are open again after many months off for a remodel.  The chick people have been in withdrawals, including me.

As I drove through town today I saw our local Memorial Day event going on at the pocket park.  Looked like a good crowd.  There is always the argument about the difference in Memorial Day and Veteran's Day and Flag Day.  In my opinion, we honor all those who served even if they didn't die in action.  LP has my Vietnam MIA bracelet with James Headrick's name on it.  I hope that she will share the history of that with Reaves.  

Keeping the faith here ^j^

hannah

If you are not a Methodist or born after 1994 you probably don't remember the story.  A tornado tore through Goshen, AL killing many in the area including the Rev. Kelly Clem's four year old daughter.  On Palm Sunday.  I vividly remember that tale and always think about it when I am in my home church and things look dark.  I looked up at the ceiling today but didn't count the lights like I used to as a child.  I have a new BFF around the age of Reaves and she sits right behind me with her mama and grandma.  She showed me her toy with build-a-bear clothes today and I helped her dress dat baby.  It was a group effort.

What with it being Memorial Day weekend attendance was light because everybody and their mama'n'them are at the lake.  Some lake.  Where I live is about to become a lake due to heavy rainfall!  The rivers are all rising accordingly.  When that happens, people get cut off from civilization as they know it.  I'm only five minutes from town but got totally grounded in 2010 and 2011 on Pecan Lane.  Our last trip to town was in in the trusty old Camry which got parked up by the 51 bypass for a few days.  Me and LP and James rode in the back of Clara's truck with Mozella in the front right beside her daughter.  I think somebody took Daddy by boat up to the bypass for a ride to a doctor's appointment. Back in the old testament God sent bad stuff when he was mad.  Right now, I think that our god is sad with what we have done with this earth over the years.  I am guilty just like you.  Mary Beth told us the most commonly asked questions in confirmation class.  Number one was "before God created the world who created God?"  I have often wondered that myself.  

Y'all find a safe spot until Tuesday because it looks rough.  And always keep the faith ^j^ 

solitary

I spend all my time running around most days...going here and there from appointment to the next one.  You see, I have multiple health problems and I don't have home health.  To get that little perk I would have to be hospitalized and discharged.  Except for visiting folks, I've been hospital free for four years.  That emergent hospital visit changed my life.  I now wear a bag 24/7 to catch the poop and it's not predictable.  There is gas most days and when I choose to gorge on good food Poopie let's me know she ain't happy.  Living alone, it's all up to me to keep the stoma happy.  There are granulomas and no WOC nurses in the burg.  I tried treating myself with silver nitrate but, no.  I need ostomy care

My car is in the shop for 2 weeks now with no transmission in sight.  Fortunately Laura Ann and Kent trust me with her car and I can get from point A to point B.  I put gas in it for the first time today at 2.89 which I think is a win.

I am pretty much house bound because of the humidity.  People who can't breathe well can't sit outside when somebody is mowing or spraying or whatever they do.  I can hear the hum of a mower in the distance.  Mine got done yesterday and I am current with Mayberry.  Life is good. If it doesn't quit raining we are all screwed.

I made a vow to myself today to be intentional with the rest of my life.  I certainly can't do what I used to, but I can share what I have with the world one day at a time.  When I was younger I never realized how much grief is involved with loving hard and letting go.  Except for that first boyfriend or two.  I have continued to love freely in a hippie sort of way to those who know my soul and reach out.  That means the world.

So my decision is to keep on keepin' on in spite of troubles and pain.  So far Big Ernie has taken care of me and I trust in "shim."  Who says God can't be a girl????  Been watching Reba on Netflix and I totally missed it back in the day.  Laughed at most of the first season.  

Don't know who won the voice because I have NOT live TV.  Guess I could YouTube it.  I did like Jelly Roll's number.  This is the official start of summer here in West TN except that's not supposed to be until June.  Yes kids, climate change is real.  Not so much here but out there in the glaciers.  If you believe that we will not end up in Waterworld because of that, please watch the movie again.  I hope I'm dust in the wind when it happens.  We've had several earthquakes during the past week in Lake County where Reelfoot Lake was formed by...an earthquake.  The Mighty Mississippi flowed backwards and tada!  

I thought about reading a book today but I can't see so well anymore.  I guess I should get a Kindle and some ear plugs.  People used to do that at the sawmill when we weren't saving lives.  Night shift can be slow if there are no mass casualties.  Usually it's a steady stream of deathly sick folks and their caregivers.  I admire first responders including EMS, flight support and well staffed ER facilities.  I haven't been to the local one in about four years when I turned up at 2AM and some asshat doctor told me I didn't have diverticulitis because my white count was normal.  That was thanks to another doctor.  ER doc did not do a CT.  Because...Normal white count. I had the classic symptoms like LLQ pain.  It's the past but I should have sued his ass.  Two weeks later I was inpatient at Baptist East with a belly full of infection.  That's a whole nother story.

to those of you who read this little journal of mine, take heart.  I'm not gonna' check out anytime soon unless my time is up.  And I trust God with that call ^j^

it's not the heat....

I woke up this morning to a temperature of 78 degrees in the house with the thermostat set on 72.  I called Bubba and reported the problem then opened all the doors and a few windows to let the nice breeze in.  Corey Jeffries came and quickly replaced the condenser and even though it's still 78, it's now taking out the humidity to where I can breathe.  It was bad timing for me because I've been to the doctor twice in the past week with breathing problems.  When I was talking with Corey he heard a quail over in the wheat.  I'm not too much on identification of bird sounds but he heard it right away. Chad Ivy is a friend and small business owner that I did a story about when I was a regular stringer at the State Gazette.  He is an Iraq/Afghanistan vet and started his own sanitation business because the corporate big boys weren't getting things done properly in this area.  I signed on with him when I moved here and his service is always reliable, in spite of his multiple health problems.  Not only did he suffer with PTSD but the burn pits of Afghanistan damaged his lungs to the point that he has been diagnosed as immune deficient and had multiple bouts with pneumonia and sepsis because of it during the past year.  At only 37 years old, he faces a lifetime of illness caused by "the Agent Orange" of the war he fought in.  Sounds like time to tell the rest of his story as he seeks to partner with another Chad who followed his business model.  Stay tuned!

This wicked humidity precedes what is supposed to be a four day event of stormy weather beginning around 2PM today.  I haven't had a shower in several days due to exhaustion and I wasn't about to jump in there while it was still hot as hades.  By late afternoon I should be clean if the storm doesn't knock out power.  Ya' just never know.

Reaves graduated from Kindergarten to 1st grade today and I was only there in spirit but that counts.  I'm still driving a friend's car and didn't want to go that far away with it.  So far the transmission has not arrived at the shop but I'm thankful to have a ride and a bank note to pay for it when the work is done.  

I go to this little diner on St John called Mel's for pickup breakfast quite often.  It's the sort of place where they line the manual tickets up in front of the cook and the locals meet to discuss things.  While I was waiting yesterday I sat down with a couple that I did not know and struck up a conversation.  We chatted about life and politics and every little thing.  I do so love a small town.

I've been able to watch the news lately and saw where some scam loan company is trying to repo Graceland and everybody worldwide is like "wtf?"  I mean seriously.  We shall see.  Elvis' granddaughter filed an injunction claiming that it was all a fake so the judge put things off because of the historical significance of the property.  The king, if you will.

The idiot governor of Florida has passed legislation putting climate change concerns on the back burner in spite of the fact that the whole state is suffering mightily from the changes as sea levels rise and temperatures warm.  It is an "inconvenient truth."

Y'all keep it in the middle of the road and love each other ^j^

flames of faith

This is Pentecost Sunday coming up so I may find something red to wear.  We started with some parking lot worship back during COVID and have continued to grow and prosper.  Bumps in the road?  Of course.  There is a core group of believers there who understand what it means to be UMC.   We are closely related to Cumberland Presbyterians and Episcopalians.  Lots of liturgy.  We believe in acolytes and cross bearers and Todaneka's latest outfit.  Lutherans are also similar in beliefs.  I only knew two Lutherans in my life and they both explained it to me.  

Our faith is reeling right now as we try to get back to the mission of being a believer.  From the manger to the cross and onto the road to Emmaus, we discover who Jesus really is and what kind of torture he went through to save us all.  What a gift!  I never feel guilty at all because I know that I am forgiven for making mistakes.  That's the bottom line ^j^

not grounded and blessed

Six days ago the not so trusty Ford Escape died on me and I barely got it to the shop where the transmission was pronounced DOA.  Bubba took me to church on Sunday and a friend brought me home after.  On Monday my dear friend offered to let me use her extra car until I get mine back.  It is way fancier than mine and by the time I learn it I'll be back in the Escape.  It is a costly repair and it didn't take much Googling to find that it's a common problem with that particular transmission.  Thus, I am pursuing joining a mass action suit.  The car is paid for ( thanks LPT ) so I'll be paying on the transmission for three years with a three year warranty.  I've never knowingly joined a class action, somebody always did it for me.  I had the same problem with an oil and fluid leak with the old Camry when it was almost out of warranty.  My cousin worked there and pushed it through even though I didn't have the proper receipts for oil changes.  There was a huge suit over that.  Toyota replaced the engine at almost 60K miles and I drove it until the trade in December 2022.  And  yes, I keep all service receipts now.  Live and learn.

I have missed Mother's Day with the girls and will now miss Reaves' graduation next Wednesday.  I miss those girls like crazy!  Lauren will be able to be there so she probably won't miss me much.  The humidity is horrendous and my neighbor is mowing his yard again since a blade or two of grass grew overnight.  That sound wears me out, not to mention the grass pollen blowing my way.  I went to the doctor yesterday and got a steroid shot, breathing treatment and a Z pack.  He told me every patient that he has seen is suffering with the same thing and he is too.  Thank God for central air.  Not spending much time outside with this air quality.  More rain is on the way for tonight and tomorrow and I haven't even looked ahead except to see that it's in the 90s next week.  The seasons are totally mixed up.  All I want is seventies and fifties with low humidity.  Is that too much to ask weather guy for?  In Tennessee it is.

Climate change is real.  Our basic rights are slowly but surely being taken away by the powers that ought not to be but are.  Mother earth is in a mess and I fear that we are careening toward WWIII.  I pray that is not true.  Peace be still ^j^

living on the edge

I take so  many things for granted like most people.  Bubba took me today to check on my car and it will 99.9% have to get a new transmission.  Then we checked to see if insurance pays for a rental in that situation and , no.  Then we made the rounds at Enterprise and Hertz and Hertz actually had sedans available "right now" but the cost is prohibitive.  $500 refundable deposit and 500 rental for a week.  

I decided to stick with Les and see what kind of magic they can do for me.  I mean, they already have the car and the keys. They are excellent mechanics in the age where dealerships try to rip you off and they try to save you money.  Small business, if you will.

I ordered by Door Dash last night and have some leftover lasagna so there is supper just waiting for me.  The ricotta kind of messed with my stoma situation but that's okay.  Two bag changes later, life is good.  Sometimes you just have to go for the dream and deal with the aftermath.

Thus far, my car is still sittin' where we left it on Saturday. They only have two bays and both are full with trucks.  I'm expecting a miracle at this point, ya know?  We even checked into a UHaul van at only twenty bucks a day but pay by the mile.  Just, no.  I will be happy to depend on  rides and wait it out.

Lord have mercy ^j^

prayers for my car and other mother's day stuff

I was doing Uber 2 duty on Friday when my transmission went out.  Barely made it home from Fowlkes.  So yesterday my friend Red came out and followed me to Lake Road Amaco.  It took thirty minutes with all the starting and stopping for the gears to change.  Bless him.  I got really bad news like 
"new transmission" from Boo so they now have my car.  The (not so) funny thing is that there have been multiple lawsuits against Ford for transmission problems on my particular model which is a 2015 Escape bought from Gene Langley in Humboldt.  I got a recall on something to do with the transmission in 2022 and took it to the local Ford dealership.  They checked if off their list and now this.  Sounds fishy to me.  We shall see when Bubba picks me up tomorrow for a drive by over at the main shop.  With  receipts and such.  They do great work but this is something way and above normal oil changes and tire patches.  Ask for Les or Josh.

Basically I am a screwed consumer.  The interest rate was 24% and a dear friend paid it off for me when he saw that.  It has been a great car with only 22K miles.  First the screen went out earlier in the year and now the transmission.  Y'all be careful out there.  Maybe I can learn to walk again except there's no stores out here.  Back in the day there were!

I'm not bitching, much.  Reaves got to spend Mother's Day time with LP though I was absent.  We face timed and Lizzie did all the things on messenger to change her face.  When we got to many faces going in a circle I had to quit.  Made me dizzy.  She has not been here since Christmas.  Nobody's fault, shit just happens.

Peace and love kids ^j^

poor mr jingles

The Green Mile is one of my most favorite movies ever.  As I sat on the porch the other day I thought about Mr. Jingles while I watched Rosie play a tiny mouse to death and then carry it to the yard to eat.  I know it's nature's way but it hurt my heart.  This was after she killed a bird on the porch leaving a trail of feathers all over the place.  She is quite the little huntress.

Life is galloping along at a rapid pace.  Every time you turn around, another week is in the rear view.  I've started back to Dynamix after 2 weeks off and I badly needed it.  Plus, I had a remote "Healing Touch" session with my friend Ann yesterday and she unlocked all my chakras!  Gave me energy too.  Enough to go get a big body hug from her hubby at the Manor today. We are kinda' sorta' cousins by marriage and long time friends.  The three of us were the first to hit the dance floor at the DHS 50th class reunion when Chris played "Take a Walk on the Wild Side."  That was our class song.

Humidity here is so thick you could cut it with a knife and the weather is quite unstable, as it is all over the country.  I have asthma and humidity is a killer for me.  Hopefully by this weekend it will drop significantly.  Not only is it Mother's Day but also graduation season.  My friend Rachel graduated from U of M with a degree in professional writing this past week and her daughter is set to graduate from DCHS.  These are milestones for both of them.  Reaves will graduate to 1st grade on May 22nd.  I hope I don't bawl like a baby like we ALL did at the pre-K event..  Lord, that was a hot teary mess for all involved.  I mean,

they played "Let them be little" as they walked away from the class one by one until only the teachers were left on the bleachers.  She will be my only grandchild born of my only child.  Sometimes things are complicated but we make the best of it.  

Did I ever mention how much I hate to sweat? I truly despise it and summer doesn't officially start for another month or more.  My last thing to plant will be a tomato in a big pot on the back porch.  The stargazers and tiger lilies that I planted the first year are looking good, right on schedule.  I hear that there will be a neighborhood get together on the 4th of July, Mozella style at Clara's house.  Can't wait to see that bunch all together again.  

LP turned me on to a story about a mega church pastor with a long history of mind control and his wife's "suicide".  He groomed her when she was the baby sitter for his first wife, who left him.  Big age difference and a lot of drama.  Thank goodness they didn't have any kids together.  Mind control scares me to death.  Cults are everywhere and when free speech and thought are pushed down, bad things happen to the sheeple.  That is true with both religion and politics.  

My parents would attest to the fact that I have never been a "follower."  I declined two invitations to join the high school sorority because I was friends with everybody and did not believe in exclusion and the humiliating hazing process.  I was just friends with everybody and their mama'n'them.

Y'all remember who you are and from whence you came.  We only have one life to live and I choose to make a difference. ^j^

the round table

It's a bi-annual date for me and a bunch of farmers in the left corner of Tim's BBQ hut.  It is always packed out for breakfast like Mel's and the Junction store.  It is where people meet and keep up with each and what's up.  We had a nice visit but I see most of them out and about because they farm around these parts.   There is also Billy Jack across the road planting.  On any given day there is a lot of farm traffic.  I love every minute of it as long as I'm inside.  When the tractors aren't here somebody is mowing their yard.

My table belonged to my great grandmother Ethel and I've had it for years.  Enough that, without leaves propped up with wood chips, it is back to the original wood on the center portion.  I picked up some cool chairs up at Hippies for cheap and cleaned them up.  I can't wait for our first real meal there.  Maybe Thanksgiving?

As best as I can tell the protesters have all been arrested and about to be processed.  This has fascinated me because I truly do believe in peaceful protest.  Radicalization of splinter groups has threatened our college campuses and our life in general.  As my Daddy always said per Billy Yates "This too shall pass"  Let us pray ^j^

inclusion

I am a lifelong United Methodist and a liberal.  I believe that God don't make junk and everybody is welcome at the table.  Our church has been in turmoil for years over the issue of allowing LGBTQ clergy and same sex marriage by UMC ministers.  We have been guided by the Book of Discipline on these things and have been faithful.  General conference passed legislation striking those restrictions from the rules along with redistricting other countries who are anti-LGBTG anything. They will maintain their own rules according to their beliefs.  This should have happened a long time ago.  

So, changing subjects to campus protests.  I honestly believe that people who don't have a dog in the fight have infiltrated these protests to incite violence just like with the White House attack.  People seem to want chaos and part of that is just anger at the state of our world in general.  Ukraine vs Russia.  Israel vs Gaza.  Everybody wants to fight instead of meeting in the middle for peace.  I am old enough to remember the protests on college campuses nationwide in the late 60s.  The shootings at Kent State.  The mental health of those who served in the jungle and came home forever messed up in the head and with their health.  Same for Iraq and Afghanistan.  I appreciate the service of all those who have served our country but I believe that a lot of it was not our business and fueled by fear of the unknown.  Projection, if you will.

"All we are saying is give peace a chance"  Keep the faith ^j^